Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Injuries and senior day change Vandy starting lineup

Here's a look at some highlights of the depth chart for the Kentucky game:

• Starting receivers are Chris Boyd or Jordan Matthews at one receiver, and Matthews or Jonathan Krause at another. Last week at Florida, Boyd and Matthews appeared together in the starting lineup for the first time. They've been listed as co-starters at the x-receiver on game week depth charts in nearly every game this season. Matthews has started seven games this season, with Boyd starting four. Krause has started five games, while Udom Umoh and Wesley Tate have started two apiece.

• Likewise, Javon Marshall and Kenny Ladler are listed as co-starters opposite Sean Richardson at safety once again this week.

• Redshirt senior Udom Umoh is listed as the third starter at wide receiver. James Franklin said he plans to start some seniors on or use them in key plays on Saturday, which is senior day, in recognition of their contributions to the team but that they wouldn't necessarily be in the main rotation for the duration of the game.

• Same for T.J. Greenstone at defensive tackle, who's listed ahead of Colt Nichter as a starter. Expect to see Greenstone start the game and play the first series and then give way to Nichter, Vince Taylor and Barron Dixon.

• Surprisingly, nobody asked if Larry Smith was going to start, though I fully expect to see Larry in the game for at least a couple of plays, hopefully not as a wide receiver. But Rodgers is clearly our quarterback, and despite the fact that we're a double-digit favorite, we could easily lose this game.

• Guard Ryan Seymour, who's started all nine games this year, is listed as a co-starter with redshirt freshman Chase White, which is Franklin's way of saying that Seymour will probably miss the game because of injury.

• Likewise, Chase Garnham is once again listed as a co-starter with Al Owens, which means that Garnham is likely not ready to return from injury.

• Guard Josh Jelesky is listed as the sole starter at right guard and barring injury appears to have won the job for the rest of the year over Mylon Brown, who will continue to see action. Franklin said he had to move a D-lineman over to offense in the preseason because of Stewart's mononucleosis, Kittredge's departure and maybe even Burrow's head injuries, which I believe started early in the preseason, and that the staff considered Walker May (too slight) and Vince Taylor (too short) before settling on Jelesky, whose development has been nothing short of remarkable considering he'd never played O-line in his life. This would be Jelesky's second start.

• Walker May is listed as the sole starter at defensive end opposite Tim Fugger, who's started all nine games this year. May's started four, with junior Johnell Thomas starting five.

• At placekicker, Ryan Fowler and Carey Spear are listed as co-starters.

Twelve players have started every game for the Commodores this season. They are:
• Zac Stacy, RB
• Ryan Seymour, OL
• Wesley Johnson, OL
• Kyle Fischer, OL
• Rob Lohr, DT
• Colt Nichter, DT
• Tim Fugger, DE
• Chris Marve, LB
• Casey Hayward, CB
• Trey Wilson, CB
• Sean Richardson, S

In addition to the above players, these guys have played in every game this season:
• QB: Jordan Rodgers
• RB: Jerron Seymour
• WR: Jordan Matthews, Jonathan Krause, Chris Boyd, Wes Tate, Udom Umoh
• TE: Austin Monahan
• FB: Fitz Lassing
• OL: Mylon Brown, Andrew Bridges, Caleb Welchans
• DT: Jared Morse
• DE: Walker May, Thad McHaney
• LB: Archibald Barnes, Al Owens, DeAndre Jones
• CB: Andre Hal, Stephen Clarke, Eddie Foster
• S: Javon Marshall, Kenny Ladler, Eric Samuels, Karl Butler
• Special teams: Carey Spear, Richard Kent, Micah Powell, Andrew East

4 comments:

Greg M said...

Hope all our recruits where watching Monday Night Football last night. It was the Jay Cutler and Earl Bennett Vanderbilt Show!!! Lost track of how many times they mentioned that they played together at Vanderbilt. All we needed was for D J Moore to hold on to the pick he dropped and it would have been the Vanderbears trifecta!!

Dimon K-H said...

Go Vanderbears!

I'm bringing my sons up this weekend for the basketball game Friday night and of course the UK game Saturday. Got any ideas on the best place to park near campus, especially on Saturday? Also, any recommendations for things to do the morning of the football game?

jayden said...

Seymour will miss this game, but hopefully be back next week. Bridges could start at LT with Johnson at G

Dimon K-H said...

Jayden, have you noticed how Bridges has been donning No. 43 in some games and playing tight end? I think that's pretty cool. Even if our younger tackles eventually pass him on the depth chart, he's a talented guy who'll help us in a lot of different ways in his career.